


Family Reunion

by FireSoul



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Gen, Post 2X06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 09:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8619697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireSoul/pseuds/FireSoul
Summary: Stein finally meets the woman he's been seeing in his visions, and it turns out that she isn't who he initially thought she might have been.





	

"Jefferson you didn't," Stein pleaded, after the entire mess of an alien invasion had been stopped the team was taking a day or two in 2016 for some shore leave. So while Jefferson had, supposedly, gone to visit his mother, Martin had opted to remain on the ship. Ever since he'd started seeing visions of that mysterious woman he had accepted that he could not have any idea as to what was waiting in 2016 for him.

He didn't know who she was, but yet he felt this immeasurable feeling of love for her, and he was terrified she would be the one whom he had to face in the present. But she is still a stranger to him, nothing but a giggling face he's seen in visions and dreams. No words, no name, no explanation.

So of course Jefferson had gone to his home and found her there, and of course he'd brought her back to the ship.

Stein wasn't entirely sure what his partner had told her exactly, but according to the younger man she was already well aware of both the Waverider and the team. If she had revealed to Jefferson who she is then he wasn't saying, and that was probably annoying Stein the most.

"Grey I had to!" Jax defended, "You said it yourself that you remember loving her, don't you want to know who she is?"

"Of course I do!" Stein all but snapped, "But I was perfectly content with allowing my memory to slowly rewrite itself, rather than bring this strange woman on board! How do you even know that she can be trusted?" He demanded and although Jax looked away it was with that look that he gets when he thinks his partner is being ridiculous. "Oh my god," Stein gasped, "She told you who she is, didn't she?" He asked and when the reply he got was in the form of a sigh he knew that he was right. "Jefferson-"

"Yeah, alright yes." Jax confessed, "When I went to your house she answered the door and she knew who I was. I had to explain that we've actually never met and tell her that when we went to the past and talked to younger you, it somehow changed the timeline so that she became a part of your life."

"Well then who is she?" The older man demanded before nervously adding "And what happened to Clarissa?"

"Relax, Clarissa's fine." Jax assured him before gesturing to the door behind them, the one that leads to the cargo bay, the one that leads to  _her_. "Her name's Emily," He continued, "But as for who she is… I think that's for her to tell you." With that said he pressed his hand to the scanner on the side of the wall and opened up the door behind him, prompting a rather apprehensive Martin to turn around and find himself face to face from the woman of his visions.

She looked very much like she did in his clouded dreams, roughly the same age as Sara with light brown hair cut around her shoulders and a light blue dress stained here and there with small splotches of paint. She appeared as nervous as himself, her head snapping in attention to the door and offering an awkward smile as the older man before her felt himself all but shoved into the room before the door closed behind him, courtesy of Jefferson of course.

"Hello," He greeted awkwardly as she rose from the crate she'd been sitting on. He held out his hand and she accepted, although the gesture did make her look rather uncomfortable.

"Jax told me what happened," she cut right to the chase, and secretly Stein was rather grateful for it.

"I do apologize," he said sincerely, "My memory has begun adjusting to the changed timeline but so far I've only been able to recall the vaguest images of your face, though Jefferson was kind enough to give me your name before sending me in here, Emily." He explained whilst she reclaimed her seat on the crate, with a surprisingly understanding smile on her face.

"It's ok," she assured him, "He told me you went back to a conference at the White House in 1987, and whatever you said to your younger self is what put me in your life. It wasn't that hard to figure out what you changed."

It was now that Stein opted to join her on the crate, the fact that she had somehow been able to deduce how that trip put her into his life was astonishing in his opinion. As time is so unpredictable and surely there could be an infinite number of different choices that would've led her to him, but yet she seemed so sure.

"Then enlighten me, please." He requested in an almost begging tone, which she appeared very amused by.

"What exactly did you say to your younger self?" She asked.

Stein licked his dry lips before answering, considering he was still unaware as to this woman's place in his life he had no idea how she would react to hearing the answer. But she appeared understanding enough, and surely she knew he had at least been married to Clarissa at the time.

"I told him to cherish Clarissa," he answered her honestly, "I told him that no matter how many scientific breakthroughs he achieved, she would always be the most important thing in his life, and that nothing could ever compare to her."

Much to his surprise, Emily beamed at his words. Her smile was bright and genuine, not unlike Clarissa's own, and he almost thought he saw a bit of his wife in this strange woman.

"He took your advice," she confirmed, despite her positive reaction those had not been the words Martin was expecting to hear. "He went back to her that night and apologized for leaving her alone on her birthday, he promised he was going to make it up to her. They went to the beach the next weekend, and while I don't know exactly when your little change in the timeline took place I did do the math when Jax told me what happened, and considering your past self had apparently just been given a reality check I'm fairly certain it was that week." She explained cryptically and later on Martin would choose to blame denial for not realizing sooner what it was she was saying and instead asking her to spell it out for him.

"Well what was it?" He asked and he really should've gotten from the deadpan look that she gave him, but he didn't.

"What happens when a man and a woman love each other very much?" She asked and Martin's eyes grew wide as he finally, finally began putting the pieces together.

"Oh, oh…" He trailed off in obvious shock, the awkwardness of the room suddenly multiplying by at least ten fold.

"Yeah so um, how have you been dad?"

There was a long pause of silence, a very long pause. To tell the truth Stein really should've guessed her identity from her age alone, as she is clearly half his age and Jefferson did pick her up here in the present. Not to mention that although her hair is dark the way his was in youth, she does look so much like Clarissa. But still, the sheer impossibility of it had blinded him. He and Clarissa had talked about children, once upon a time, but the time had never seemed right for them. However if what Emily had to say was true then it was probably safe to assume that she hadn't exactly been a planned child.

"I've uh… I've been good, I've been good." He finally managed to stutter out, much to the amusement of his apparent daughter.

"Right," she said disbelievingly, knowing that after having a bomb like this dropped on him her father was clearly not good. So she rose to her feet, because frankly she couldn't stand looking into the eyes of her father when they held no recognition of her, when all they saw was a stranger. "Well I should go," she said, making her way towards the door of the cargo bay and of course Stein sprung up behind her.

"No wait!" He nearly begged, "Please don't-" He cut himself off, or rather the sudden blinding pain in his head did. He bent over clutching his temple, and obviously Emily took notice of his abrupt pause and turned around to the sight.

"Dad!" She exclaimed, bending down to his level and trying to get a look at his face, which was contorted in pain. She placed a hand on his shoulder as though to let him know that she was there, but aside from that she watched helplessly until his eyes blinked open again.

When the pain overtook him Stein at first saw nothing, but then the memory flashed through his mind. In it he saw a child, an elementary aged Emily, sitting in front of a door and wearing a party dress, her face appearing as a mix of boredom and disappointment. But alas, as quickly as it came, the memory was gone. He now found himself still in the cargo bay of the Waverider and staring into the adult Emily's eyes; worry and dare he say the tinniest bit of hope reflected in them.

"Da-" She stopped herself, clearly unsure about if he would want her calling him her father when he does not remember her as his child, and he found that it broke his heart. "Are you ok?" She asked him, he nodded.

"It, it was a memory." He confessed as the two of them rose to stand straight, he saw the hope in his daughter's eyes amplify but still he saw doubt, and fear that he might reject her.

"A memory of what?" She asked.

"Of you," he said hurriedly, much to his surprise she began shaking her head in denial.

"You don't have to pretend to remember me," she said, Stein could only bring himself to look at her in shock. "Jax told me what happened, you don't have to pretend that you suddenly know who I am." She continued, trying her best to keep her face an emotionless mask but that had never really been her strong suit.

"No, I swear. Believe me Emily, the only reason I actually know who you are is what you've just told me. But what I just saw, it was you." He promised her, "You were a child, sitting in front of a door and wearing a party dress. Actually you looked rather upset." He confessed, finding himself even more anxious when she appeared to consider his words.

"You were working late that night," she finally said, she knew exactly what he was talking about and maybe it was the optimist in her but she believed that he really was remembering things, and she hoped that he was truly as willing to accept what is apparently a new reality as he appears to be. "You came to every one of my dance recitals," She began to explain, "You made every school play, every piano concert, every art show, and all but one or two t-ball games. But that night at work was a huge deal for you, and you told me that morning you were sorry but you just weren't going to make the father-daughter dance." When the words left her mouth Stein suddenly felt himself filled with guilt, however judging by her face Emily felt the same. "Me being the little brat that I was I wanted to make you feel sorry, I didn't understand that you already were. So I put on my dress and sat outside my bedroom door long past my bedtime and waited for you to come home. When you finally did you came upstairs, took one look at me, and walked into your room." Her guilt began to turn to embarrassment. "At first I thought I was getting what I deserved for trying to make you feel guilty. But then you came back out, dressed in a suit and tie, and you brought me down into the living room and put on my favorite CD, and you danced with me to every song."

Stein couldn't help the warm feeling that her words filled him with, nor could he help the small smile that was spreading onto his face.

"I hope you aren't lying in order to make me feel better about not knowing you," he said and she actually laughed at that.

"You're gonna remember eventually, so I'm not going to bother lying." She assured him, "No, you've always been there for mom and me. And speaking of mom I really need to be getting back your place, I'm supposed to be helping her plan out some event at the University and she is probably wondering where I am."

"Of course," Stein agreed, "Please give her my regards, I'd go with you to say hello but we're going to be taking off soon and-"

"I got it," Emily cut him off, "Should I tell her about the whole corrupted timeline thing or…?"

"Oh… um, if you feel that you need to then by all means. But considering I don't know when I will next be home and my memory may have rewritten itself by that time I don't think it's exactly necessary that she find out." He stuttered, he was never one to keep secrets from Clarissa but then again he also didn't like worrying her, and he was sure that if she were to know then she might worry about other things he might have forgotten.

"Don't tell mom, got it." Emily agreed, "I guess I'll see you next time you're in town."

"Yes, and I look forward to hopefully remembering more about you by then." Stein said, this time when he held out his hand to her she took it much more willingly.

"Hopefully not everything," she cringed, "There are some things I'd rather you not remember."

Stein chuckled at that, and he was very sure that there are probably some memories that will be written into his mind that he'd rather not see. But still, Emily seemed to be a well-raised young woman, and he could only hope that he had played as much of a part in that as she claimed he had.


End file.
